Under Revised Code Section 575-11 of the Consolidated City of Indianapolis and Marion County, it is unlawful for property owners and occupants to allow environmental public nuisances such as High Weeds and Grass (HWG) to exist; grass or weeds more than twelve inches tall are a violation.
The Department of Business and Neighborhood Services (BNS) enforces the Environmental Public Nuisance Ordinance (Revised Code Chapter 575) for high weeds and grass on private property; the Marion County Public Health Department (MCPHD) also has independent authority and classifies weeds or grass more than twelve inches tall as a trash/nuisance violation. After a complaint is received through the Mayor's Action Center / RequestIndy and a violation is documented (Rev. Code Sec. 575-5), BNS allows ten days for owners to voluntarily bring the property into compliance. If the owner fails to act, the City abates the nuisance and recovers its costs; the administrative fee is set by Rev. Code Sec. 131-501. BNS may continue to re-inspect and abate subsequent violations approximately every 30 days during the HWG season, which typically runs April through November. BNS may waive abatement where compliance causes undue hardship without a corresponding public-health benefit (Rev. Code Sec. 575-10). Indiana Code Section 36-7-10.1 is the state enabling statute that authorizes municipalities to require removal of weeds and rank vegetation.
Owners who do not comply within ten days are billed the City's abatement costs plus an administrative fee established at $288 per abatement under Revised Code Sec. 131-501, plus disposal and labor/equipment fees; unpaid charges may become a lien on the property (see Rev. Code Sec. 575-12; IC 36-1-6-2, 36-1-6-4).
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis Revised Code section 391-302(c)(6) bans operating any vehicle, engine, or motor with straight pipes, muffler cutouts, bypasses, or exhaust that ...
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis uses a plainly-audible standard combined with a 115 dB amplifier cap under Rev. Code Ch. 391, Article III rather than zone-based dBA limits.
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis does not impose specific leaf blower hours, but Revised Code Sec. 391-302 prohibits operating any blower or power fan in a way that makes unreas...
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis Revised Code section 391-302(c)(2) prohibits radios, loudspeakers, sound amplifiers, and musical instruments that make unreasonable noise, and t...
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis has no blanket overnight street-parking ban for ordinary passenger vehicles, but Code Sec. 621-117 caps parking on any street at six hours witho...
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis adopts the Indiana Residential Code under Rev. Code Ch. 536, which requires a minimum 48-inch barrier around residential pools 24 inches deep or...
See how Indianapolis's weed ordinances rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.